Don't worry, Cullen. Foles, the rookie QB, had his moment with
the media later in the day. But Jenkins, a ninth-year defensive
tackle, was needed to shed some light on why coach Andy Reid
decided this week to fire defensive line coach Jim Washburn and
bring back Tommy Brasher.

Yes, the Eagles' play has bordered on pitiful this season,
especially from a punchless line. But Reid's decision to make a
change with four games left in a 3-9 season had as much to do with
Washburn's prickly personality as it did an underachieving unit.
Washburn was known for being abrasive and acting confrontational
with other coaches. Stuck in his old-school ways, the approach
wasn't tolerated anymore on a lousy team, especially since his unit
was one of the main culprits.

Jenkins, who has two sacks this season after combining for 12
1/2 the previous two, said Wednesday it was weird returning to
practice and not hearing Washburn and his unique ways of firing up
his players. Jenkins defended Washburn's approach but understood
others might not see the value of his methods.

''Some people could take it the wrong way,'' Jenkins said.
''Looking from the outside in, they might not understand it. He was
just trying to get us to play hard.'

Outside in? Try, inside out. After all, it was Reid who made the
call just hours after the team's eighth straight loss, 38-33 at
Dallas Sunday night.

Standing on the practice field, Reid declined to rehash all the
details of the split with Washburn. His praise of Brasher, in his
third stint with the Eagles, really said it all.

''He's all about the team,'' Reid said.

Even with his 14-year tenure seemingly entering the final weeks,
Reid is still trying to find ways to fix the problems that have
plagued them during this season to forget. Washburn's wide-nine
defensive line alignment is all but scrapped. Nick Foles took
first-team snaps knowing he'd be the starting quarterback the rest
of the season, and Bryce Brown continues to play well in place of
injured running back LeSean McCoy.

Despite the troubles, at least on the surface, Reid still sees a
determined team.

''I see guys, they're upset that they're not winning,
absolutely,'' he said. ''Their preparation, they're working their
tail off to get better. That's an important thing at this
point.''

At least publicly, Reid doesn't believe his players have quit on
him, so he's tried to rid the locker room of the ''me-first'' men
that could rub off on the next generation of Eagles. Jason Babin, a
Washburn protege, was the first one dumped. Washburn wasn't pleased
with the decision to part with Babin and reportedly threatened to
quit. So Reid fired him.

The Eagles hoped Washburn's wide-nine would produce plenty of
pressure on opposing quarterbacks. It did at first. The scheme
helped the Eagles tie for the league lead with 50 sacks last
season, but has resulted in only 20 so far this year.

As such, Philadelphia meets Tampa Bay (6-6) on Sunday mired in
an eight-game losing streak. It is the worst skid since 1968 and
comes from a team that opened the season with Super Bowl
aspirations.

Jenkins refused to say if defensive coordinator Todd Bowles was
going to drastically alter their scheme the rest of the season.

''I'm not going to sit here and give away any new things that we
might be doing,'' he said. ''You'll just have to wait and
see.''

The Eagles are still waiting to see if McCoy or quarterback
Michael Vick will return this season following serious head
injuries. Both players have not yet passed their concussion tests.
They will remain sidelined until they do.

With Foles starting, the Eagles are in no rush to bring back
Vick for any reason. McCoy could still play over the final four
games, if he's cleared, Reid said. Preparing for the franchise's
future - as well as concerns with Vick's long-term health - played
into Reid's decision to stick with Foles the rest of the way.

''I'm not going to put him in any jeopardy out there,'' Reid
said of Vick.

Knowing that, the former Pro Bowl quarterback may have taken his
last snap with the Eagles, less than two years removed from a
breakout season in which he led the franchise to the NFC East
title. Vick would likely have to accept a massive paycut to return
to Philadelphia, to begin with, as well as a reduced role. Then
again, those might be decisions fit for someone other than Reid
this offseason.

Either way, Reid said Vick, 32, isn't finished, even as his
numbers over the last two years have declined since that
sensational 2010 season in which he finished with a quarterback
rating of 100.2.

''Can he still play? Yeah, absolutely,'' Reid said. ''He can
still run, he can still throw. Smart kid.''

And while Vick waits its out, his team will continue to grind it
out knowing more changes are on the horizon. Lineup shuffling and
transactions on the coaching staff are prices teams pay for losing
in the NFL.

The Eagles have learned that this year ... the hard way.

''Whatever the reasons are, it's just something that happens,''
Jenkins said. ''Especially when you're not winning.''

---

NOTES: S Kurt Coleman (sternal contusion) did not practice.
Coleman has 61 tackles and two interceptions this season. ... The
Eagles are 0-2 vs. the NFC South.

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